Hank Aaron
Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron born February 5, 1934, nicknamed “hammer”, or “hammering hank”, is a retired American baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in major league baseball from 1954 to 1976. Aaron was considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time. background: hank Aaron is widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters of in the . for nearly 23 years, Aaron played as an outfielder for the braves and the Milwaukee brewers. he was setting several records and winning honors.
Aaron continues to hold many baseball records including, runs batted, extra-base hits, total bases, and most years with 30 or more home runs. for more than two decades, Aaron held the record for most career home runs (755). early life: born henry Louis Aaron on February 5, 1934. hank Aaron was born in Mobile, Alabama. Aaron and his family moved to the middle-class toulminville neighborhood when he was 8 years old. Aaron developed a strong affinity for baseball at a young age and tended to focus more heavily on sports than his studies. during his freshman and sophomore years, he attended central high school, a segregated high school in mobile, where he excelled at both football and baseball. on the baseball diamond, he played shortstop and third base. in his junior year, Aaron transferred to the Josephine Allen Institute, a neighboring private school that had an organized baseball program. before the end of his first year at Allen, he had more than proved his abilities on the baseball field.
then, perhaps sensing that he had a bigger future ahead of him, in 1951, the 18-year-old Aaron quit school to play for the negro baseball league’s Indianapolis clowns. famous for: he had the mlb record for most career home runs of 755 until barry bonds broke the record. he hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973 and is the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least 15 times. he is one of only four players to have at least 17 seasons with 150 or more hits. hank Aaron broke ’s all the home run record babe ruth had hit 714 home runs during his baseball career. legacy: in 1974, after tying the babe on opening day in Cincinnati, Aaron came home with his team. on April 15, he banged out his record 715th homerun at 9:07 p. m. in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. it was a triumph and a relief. the more than 50,000 fans on hand cheered him on as he rounded the bases. there were fireworks and a band, and when he crossed home plate, Aaron’s parents were there to greet him. overall, Aaron finished the 1974 season with 20 home runs.
he played two more years, moving back to Milwaukee to finish out his career to play in the same city where he’d started. after retiring as a player, Aaron moved into the Atlanta Braves front office as executive vice-president, where he has been a leading spokesman for minority hiring in baseball. he was elected to baseball’s hall of fame in 1982. his autobiography, i had a hammer, was published in 1990. in 1999, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of breaking ruth’s record, major league baseball announced the hank Aaron award, given annually to the best overall hitter in each league.
